Spots on a Smooth Top Range

I have a glass (or maybe ceramic?) range that came with our house. It was new in June when we moved in. I have never had one before and am puzzled by some strange markings which have appeared on it. I use a ceramic cooktop cleaner on it about every other week; the rest of the time I just wipe it down with soapy water. I think the culprit may be my (used-to-be nice) pots which recently started leaking water from the handle/where the handle is riveted onto the pot. They spurt liquid whenever I use them and now there are odd spots on the range. They look kind of like normal stains, but the cooktop cleaner doesn’t touch them. Are they burnt into the stovetop? Am I doomed to have a marred surface on my less-than-a-year old stove? Thanks!

Signed,Crusty in CranstonHeather says:

No, you’re not doomed to have a spotted range forever, but I do want you to know that no matter how careful you are, at some point your smooth top range will no longer be pristine. Today is not that day.

The next time you’re in a big box or home improvement store find yourself a razor scraper. Depending on the brand or where you find it, this tool should be well under 10 bucks or if you’re an Amazon Prime member go ahead and toss it in your cart. Easy peasy (dangerously so!), In all seriousness every home needs at least one razor scraper and some spare razor blades for tasks like cleaning a smooth top range and removing paint from window panes and I’m sure you can find other uses for this thing.

To use a razor scraper on your smooth top range hold the blade at a 45° angle to the surface of your stove. You’ll need to apply pressure and scrape pushing down toward the surface your stove and push forward starting at the edge of the spot.

NOTE: Do not slide the razor from side to side like you’re trying to slice something with the blade, that’s a great way to permanently scratch the surface of your appliance.

I know the idea of using a razor blade on your new-ish smooth top range can be a little scary at first, but give it a try. Soon enough you’ll keep one of these handy things in the kitchen tool drawer and find great satisfaction in removing the remnants of a spillover.

Comments

Hey Heather, thanks for letting me know about the razor! My glass top stove is in TERRIBLE condition (my husband, darling as he is, NEVER wipes up spills. EVER.), so as soon as I read this, I ran out and bought myself a razor scraper. However, the burnt-on honey (I think) from my husband’s mead-making adventures have proven to be a true kitchen nemesis. After scraping and scraping, I gave up. I’m wondering if you know anything that would give my scraper a little extra “oomph.” The honey spots ARE smaller/lighter after scraping, but this matter has made me slightly insane, and I would like to have my pretty stove back. So far, my solution of refusing to get out from under my electric blanket has worked, but I have run out of chocolate, and I’ll need to go back into the kitchen at some point. Please and thank you!

I use the ever so favorite Bar Keepers Friend on ours, and a plastic cookware scraper. I’ve never used the razor though, as I was a little scared to use it on the cooktop. We got our stove off craigslist, from a Cooking afterschool program, and while they did much better at keeping the oven clean, the cooktop was a nightmare….Glad to say that BKF, scraping, and a bit of elbow grease got ALL the nasty cooked on stains off!

Our range is less than a year old–came with the house–and had never been used before us. I clean it with soap and water and then polish it with the cleaner stuff. The majority of the range looks great but there are…bubbles around the large, front burner. They’re very small and some of them seem to disappear with the polishing but how do I get rid of them all?

My glass top stove is also just a year old ….. and while I have used a razor scraper a few times, mostly I am faithful in cleaning it EVERY DAY. It only takes 60 to 70 seconds! I spray it with a cooktop spray or wipe it with a dishcloth, and then a papertowel. Then I use the white cream cleaner designed to clean/polish the top (spritz a little, wipe with a papertowel.) Easy peasy. If there is a spill while I am cooking that has anything sugary in it, I wipe it up immediately with a damp washcloth (watch out, it’s hot!) because that stuff is a killer to clean up if it cools off. My top still looks brand new …. and it being that pretty is worth a minute — literally — to me to keep it that way.